Automatic train-stopping apparatus.



W. A. SEEDS.

AUTOMATIC TRAIN STOPPING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2,1914.

9 1 Q Patented Sept. 12, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

W. A. SEEDS.

AUTOMATIC TRAIN STOPPING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2. 1914.

Patented Sept. 12,1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

4'3 4.3 mm I jifllelll llzm l ll lll 2%- W weeds WILLIAM A. SEEDS, OF GRIPPLE CREEK, COLORADO.

AUTOMATIC TRAIN-STOPPING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented dept. 12, 1e16,

Application filed June 2, 1914. Serial No. 842,433.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, WILLIAM A. SEEDS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cripple Creek, in the county of Teller and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Train-Stopping Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in apparatus automatically stopping trains and has for its primary object to provide apparatus of the character described that will operate automatically to stop a train should the engineer fail to heed set signals.

An object of importance is to provide means to be arranged along side the track that is automatically brought into operative position upon the movement of the adjacent semaphore into danger position, so as to cooperate with train carried mechanism that will operate to apply the brakes on the train.

Another object of importance is to provide train carried mechanism that consists of vertically slidable shoes that are arranged to cooperate with track carried mechanism so as to close an electrical circuit including a motor that will operate to bleed the air line of the train resulting in the application of the brakes.

Another object of importance is to provide apparatus of the character described that is simple as to construction, reliable and efficient in operation and inexpensive to install and maintain in working condition.

The above and additional objects are ac complished by such means as are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, described in the following specification and then more particularly pointed out as claimed.

With reference to the drawings, wherein 1 have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention as it is reduced to practice, and throughout the several views of which similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic View of my automatic tram stopping apparatus showing a fragmentary portion of a cab of a locomotive in section, and having attached thereto the train carried mechanism forming a part of my invention, one of the shoes of the train carried mechanism being arranged in advance of the other for the sake of clearness in this figure, Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view partly in elevation of semaphore signaling mechanism showing the means for automatically closing the circuit for the track mechanism attached thereto, Fig. 3 is a detail vertical sectional view of one of the contact shoes carried by the train showing the shoe itself in elevation, Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged detail sectional view of the means for electrically connecting the contact shoe and the circuit for the train carried mechanism, Fig. 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view showing part of the circuit closing means to be attached to the semaphore, and Fig. ohis a side elevation of a modified form of s oe.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference the numeral 1 designates as an entirety the cab structure of a locomotive. The train carried mechanism forming a part of my invention is carried by the cab structure 1 of the locomotive and arranged to cooperate with the track carried mechanism which will be later more fully described.

Referring particularly to the train carried mechanism illustrated in assembled position in Fig. 1, the numerals 2 and 3 designate generally vertically yieldable contact shoes that are secured on the opposite sides of a locomotive underneath some suitable part of the cab, structure 1, operatively connected with the other train carried mechanism and arranged to cooperate with the track mechanism as will be later more fully described. Moutned in the cab 1 is a suitable motor at having a sprocket 5 keyed on its shaft. A pipe 6 is suitably connected with the train line air pipe and communicates at one end with the atmosphere. This pipe serves as a vent and is provided with a valve 7 intermediate its ends. A sprocket 8 is operatively connected with the valve so that upon the rotation of the sprocket, the valve will be opened, said valve being normally closed. A chain 9 is mounted on the sprockets 5 and 8 and it will be readily seen that upon the rotation of the motor 4 the valve 7 will be opened to allow the air train line to be vented and bring about an application of the brakes of the train. The motor 4: is electrically connected with the shoes 2 and 3 by conducting wires 10-and 11 respectively. A switch 12 is interposed between the ends of the wires and arranged suitably within the cab to permit cutting off of the train carried mechanism when more than one locomotive is used in a train, or for other purposes.

The shoes 2 and 3 are identical as to construction and each comprises a rectangular metallic casing designated 13 said casing consisting of an inner casing portion 14 and an outer casing portion 15, said outer casing portion having layers of insulation 16 mounted on the inner faces of its walls. The casing 13 is provided with a reduced open lower end 17. A laterally extending peripheral flange 18 is provided at the upper-edge of the outer casing 15. The top walls 19 and 20 of the inner and outer casings respectively are mounted upon the flange 18, secured by suitable fastening means 21 and have interposed therebetween,

I aninsulation strip 22 similar to that designated '16; The casing 13 is secured to the under part of the cab structure 1 in any suitable manner. Vertically slidably mounted within the casing 13 is an approximately T-shaped contact shoe 23 provided with a reduced contacting and extended portion 24 and an enlarged head portion The portion 24 is extended below the open reduced end 17 of the casing 13 and the head 25 is disposed within the casing and slidable vertically therein. The shoe 23 is designed to fit snugly within the casing 13 and is preferably slightly rounded or curved at its lower end to coiiperate with the track carried mechanism to be later more fully described. Formed on one side of the casing 13 is an outwardly extending housing designated 26 that is formed of two portions separated by insulation in the same manner as is the casing generally. Slidable in a horizontal plane within the housing 26 is a contact block 27 formed of some metal preferably similar to that of which the shoe 23 is formed. An approximately L-shaped pipe section 28 has its horizontal portion disposed in communication with the housing 26 and the casing 14 and is provided with insulation to separate it from the casing 14, and its vertical portion extended through the floor of the cab structure 1 as shown in Fig. 1 in the drawings.

One of thewires 10 and 11 is mounted within the pipe section 28 and suitably connected with the block 27 as shown in Fig. 4. As a means for holding the contact block 27 in contacting engagement with the shoe 23 I provide spiral expansive springs 29 that are interposed between the outer face of the block 27 and outer wall of the. housing 26. Pins 30 are rigidly connected at certain ends to the inner face of the outer wall of the housing 26, extend through the springs 29 and into openings 31 formed in the block 27. The pins 30 serve to support the block 27, act as a guide and also support the springs-29. It will be readily seen The shoes 23 in being partially incased in double casings that are separated by insulation layers, are protected in a reliable manner against derangement and do not short circuit the motor circuit.

The track carried mechanism comprises contact rails 32 and 33 that are arranged inside the track longitudinally of the rails, opposite one another and provided with curved upper faces to coiiperate with the curved lower faces of the shoes 23. These contacting rails are arranged -to project above the surfaces of the rails of the track and electrically connected in a circuit. The circuit comprises a battery or other suitable source of current E that is connected with a semaphore operated switch 34 by means of conducting wires 35 and 36. From the switch'34 conducting wires 37 and 38 lead and are conducted with the rails 32 and 33 respectively.

The semaphore operated switch comprises a semaphore of the usual construction designated 39 as an entirety. Mounted on the standard of the semaphore 39 is an approximately T-shaped casing 40 in which is mounted at the horizontal portion thereof a sprocket 41. Mounted in the upper end of the vertical portion of the casing 40 is a sprocket 42 that is carried on the inner end of the semaphore arms 43 and is operatively connected with the sprocket 41 by means of a chain 44. A bar 45 is secured to the sprocket 41 and arranged to turn therewith.

The bar 45 is secured centrally of its ends to the center of the sprocket 41 and carries at its upper and lower sides thereof contact blocks 46 and 47. The contact blocks 46 and 47 are arranged to coiiperate with stationary contact plates 48 that are arranged in have mounted thereon spiral expansive springs 51. The springs 51 are arranged between the plates 46 and 47 and the bar 45. The springs 51 serve to provide a positive contact and insure the semaphore closing the circuit for the track rails 32 and 33.

In operation when the semaphore arm 43 is moved into danger position, the bar 45 is moved through the medium of the sprockets 41 and 42 and chain 44 so that the contact plates 46 and 47 engage the stationary contacts 48 and the circuit including the rails 32 and 33 is closed. Should the engineer fail to heed the signal and attempt to run past the same the curved projecting portion 24 of the shoe carried by the train will engage the curved upper faces of the rails 32 and 33 and close the circuit for the motor 4. Immediately upon the closing of the circuit, or engagement of the shoes with the rails 32 and 33 the motor will be operated and through the medium of the sprockets 5 and 8 and chain 9, the valve 7 ,will open and allow the pipe section to vent and the brakes will be applied in the usual manner.

No claim is made in the present application to the specific construction of the semaphore operating switch.

IVith reference to Fig. 6 wherein I have illustrated a modified form of shoe the casing 13 is provided with an extended portion 52 at one end and in which is mounted in a vertical plane, a rod 53 that is secured by suitable fastening means 54 inserted transversely through the extended portion 52 of the casing. Carried on the lower end of the rod 53 is a steel brush 55 that is so positioned as to engage the rails 32 and 33 as the case may be so as to remove snow or other foreign matter therefrom so as to insure perfoot contact. 1

It will be readily seen with reference to the foregoing description and accompanying drawings that I have provided simple and reliable means which will automatically bring the train to a stop should the engineer fail to heed a set danger signal.

In practice, I have found that the form of my invention, illustrated in the drawings and referred to in the above description, as the preferred embodiment, is the most efficient and practical; yet realizing that the conditions concurrent with the adoption of my device will necessarily vary, I desire to emphasize the fact that various minor changes in details of construction, proportion and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, when required, withoutsacrificing any of the advantages of my invention, as set forth.

What is claimed is 2- 1. In an apparatus of the character described, a pair of contact shoes carried on the opposite sides of the locomotive, casings slidably receiving the shoes, contact blocks, housings formed on the sides of the casings and slidably receiving the contact blocks, springs interposed between the outer walls of the housings and the contact blocks to normally hold the contact blocks in contact engagement with the shoes, pins carried by the housings inserted through the springs and within openings formed in the contact blocks, said shoes being reduced at their lower ends and having their reduced portions projecting from the casings.

2. In apparatus of the character described, a train carried contacting member comprising an approximately T-shaped contacting shoe, a casing slidably receiving the shoe having one end reduced and open to receive the smaller lower end of the shoe, a housing formed on the side of the casing, a contact block mounted within the housing, springs holding the contact block in engagement with the shoe, said casing comprising an inner and outer wall and insulation strips arranged between the walls.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM A. SEEDS.

Witnesses:

HOWARD P. SEEDS, HUB HART.

Copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. U. 

